Carol's Mate

Epilogue

“Just a minute, son. We‟d like a word with you.” Alex paused with one hand on the car door handle. “Yeah, Dad?” He waited while his parents crossed over to him, reining in his curiosity.

They‟d been together last night and all day today, discussing every topic under the sun. What needed to be said that hadn‟t?

“The elders approached us today…” his father began.

“The elders? No offense, but if there‟s a problem within the pack, as alpha, they should be coming to me,” Alex interrupted.

“They‟re concerned about your lack of mate, and so are we,” his mother explained.

Alex felt the muscles in his neck tighten. “I—”

“You‟ve been alpha for ten years now. It‟s time for you to settle down,” his father stated.

Not this again.

“Don‟t you think I want to?” Alex thought of the new home he‟d built and the lone present sitting under his Christmas tree, purchased for the mate he wished he had.

“Then what‟s the problem?” his mother asked, concern showing on her face.

“I want what you and Dad have and Carol and Mark found. I want my one.”

“Oh, Alex.” His mother stepped forward and laid her hand on his arm. “While your father and I love each other dearly and I couldn‟t imagine my life without him, he‟s not my true mate.”

“What?” This was the first he‟d heard of this.

“Son, we‟re as happy for Carol and Mark as you are, but the facts are what they found is extremely rare. The odds of you finding yours, if she‟s even out there, are slim. You can still have a good, loving mating without finding your one.” Alex felt his expression harden into what his mother called his stubborn face.

He knew he had a true mate. Rare to find didn‟t mean impossible.

His mother noted it and sighed. “Alex, at least make an effort. That‟s all they—we—are asking.”

“Don‟t you think I‟ve tried?” he burst out. His frustration with the situation was beginning to get the better of him. How many times were they going to discuss this? Pushing off the car, he stepped away from his parents, needing space. In a calmer tone, he reminded them, “None of the women in the pack interest me.”

“There are other packs. The Sparrowhawks‟ alpha has a sister,” his father said.

Alex snorted his contempt as he turned to face his father again. “The Sparrowhawks are throwbacks. The alpha killed his own father to take control.”

“On the eastern seaboard alone, there are at least twenty other packs. One of them is bound to have a female that stirs you.”

“The other packs are as short on females as we are. Besides, what do you want me to do, leave the pack to its own devices while I go mate hunting?”

“Carol is more than capable of handling the pack temporarily and the medical clinic.”

“And my veterinarian practice?” Alex bit out, his tone heavy with sarcasm.

“Who‟s going to handle it? Carol‟s a nurse, not a vet. Am I supposed to let it sit idle?”

His father‟s eyes narrowed in warning. “If that‟s what it takes. Far better than sitting on your ass waiting for your one to magically appear.”

“Sitting on my—” His mother‟s gasp made him bite off the rest. “I‟ve been working my tail off trying to get this medical center on its feet, in addition to the veterinarian practice you left behind when you two went running off to Arizona.” His father growled, and Alex felt his eyes go wolf as he took an angry step forward.

“Alex, Tom.” His mother got between them, hands outstretched to hold them apart. “Both of you, leash the beast. Right now.” Alex spun away, hands gripping his head, appalled at how close he was to challenging his own father. He tried to remember this was his dad he was dealing with, a man he both loved and highly respected.

In the background, he could hear his mother murmuring to his dad, but deliberately blocked out what she was saying. Alex concentrated on the frigid night air, the snow on the ground, and the quarter moon barely visible above the tree line.

He inhaled deeply, breathing in the night scents. Anything to settle his beast.

Slowly his eyes rounded out, and his claws retracted. The muscles in his shoulders loosened.

A soft hand landed on his back. “Alex, we know this is a difficult topic. That‟s why the elders came to us. Please realize we have only yours and the pack‟s best interests at heart. Maybe you can put some feelers out. If you can‟t go to them, I‟m sure plenty of eligible females would be willing to come here to you. All we‟re asking is that you do more than what you‟re doing now. Relax your standards a little.”

“And know this: if you don‟t find a mate for yourself soon, the elders will do it for you,” his father added in a hard voice.

Knowing any response he made at this moment would damage his relationship with his parents, Alex shrugged off his mother‟s hand and took off running down the driveway and into the woods, stripping as he went.

“Alex!”

“Let the pup go. He‟s got a lot to think about,” his father said.